5000 temporary teachers to get permanent posts

The department has over the years been at loggerheads with the South African Democratic Teachers Union over the status of the teachers.

The teachers, 5532 in total, have operated in a temporary capacity for several years. Their contracts have repeatedly been terminated and renewed which made the union angry.

The affected teachers will now be employed on a full-time basis.

The union had been dissatisfied about the department's "monkey tricks" that kept the temporary teachers waiting while there were posts identified during the 2009/2010 post establishments.

The union's provincial secretary, Matome Raphasha, expressed confidence after they had met with the department's management to discuss the problem which had plagued them for more than four years.

Department applauded

Raphasha said the meeting had resolved that the teachers who had been acting under promotional vacancies would be absorbed into the system.

"We are satisfied and applaud the department for listening to our call to give the temporary teachers permanent jobs," Raphasha said yesterday.

The agreement reached, means that the parties will sign with the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) for the process to start.

Raphasha said the delay by the department to employ temporary teachers on available vacancies was a deliberate action to frustrate them.

He also warned that should the department fail to implement the agreement, it would be faced with a shortage of teachers "as the current teachers in the system are ageing".

The union also advised its members to continue acting in promotional posts until the process for the placements was completed.

The Limpopo department of education is among five departments placed under administration by national cabinet after they exhausted their budgets. The intervention team has discovered that there were ghost teachers and that the department had incurred unauthorised expenditure.

'I want to see it in black and white'

A former tourism teacher at a school in Sekhukhune he would only be relieved when he got an appointment letter.

"I was kicked out of the school and have been jobless. It was strange because I was the only teacher at the school who was affected by this," said the teacher who spoke on condition of anonymity.

He is among thousands of teachers who have not been sure of their future in the education system.

Provincial education spokesman Pat Kgomo confirmed that the placement of temporary teachers had been referred to the ELRC.

The union believes that the process will be completed by the end of next month.

Source: Sowetan via I-Net Bridge